Squeegee assembly for photo-copy machines

ABSTRACT

A wringer assembly, embodying engaging rollers, for use in feeding paper through photocopy machines, and having a moisture impervious, flexible wiper blade in yieldable wiping contact with one of the rollers for removing moisture therefrom. One of the rollers has a durometer hardness greater than that of the other roller, and the wiper blade has a durometer hardness less than that of the roller it contacts.

United States Patent 1191 Samuels et a1. Nov. 6, I973 [54] SQUEEGEEASSEMBLY FOR PHOTO-COPY 3,453,138 7/1969 Chen et al 95/89 R X MACHNES2,558,773 7/1951 Mulloy et a]... 3,626,833 12/1971 Koch 95/89 R [75]Inventors: Abe Samuels, Chicago; Roger A.

wiggerman, McHemy, both f L FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS Assigneez p0 P Business Machine 396,631 1/1966 Sw|tzerland 95/89 A t I. corporaChicago Primary ExaminerFred L. Braun [22] Filed: Aug. 16, 1971Att0rneyRo0t, OKeeffe [21] Appl. No.: 172,043

[57] ABSTRACT 52 us. c1 95/89 A, 118/104, 355/10 A Winger assembly,embodying engaging rollers, W 51 Int. Cl. G03d 3/10 use in feeding Paperthrough Photocopy machines and 1581 Field of Search 95/89 R, 89 A;having a moisture impervious, flexible Wiper blade in 118/104; 355/10yieldable wiping contact with one of the rollers for removing moisturetherefrom. One of the rollers has a du- 56] References Cited rometerhardness greater than that of the other roller, UNITED STATES PATENTSand the wiper blade has a durometer hardness less than that of theroller it contacts. 3,202,526 8/1965 Ostensen 95/89 R X 3,104,603 9/1963Schwienbacher 95/89 R 6 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures 24 I 2 IO 3 I I 6 I i.7 1]" I ll 9 PATENTEU NOV 6 ma INVENTORS. ABE SAMUELS ROGER A. WIGGERMANSQUEEGEE ASSEMBLY FOR PHOTO-COPY MACHINES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONThis invention relates to photocopy machines and, more particularly, tophotocopy machines of the type wherein paper is passed through developersolution.

It is a primary object of the present invention to afford a novelwringer assembly for use in photocopy machines.

Troublesome problems in electrostatic copying machines where a developersolution is used have heretofore been the inability to produce a drycopy and the inability to prevent offsetting and what is known astailing. One of the types of wringer assemblies heretofore used in suchphotocopying machines to feed copy sheets from developer solution hasconsisted of two relatively soft rollers, made of material such as,neoprene, which were intended to compress and squeeze the excess fluidfrom the copy sheet. However, it has heretofore been found that,commonly, such an assembly did not produce a copy sheet which wassufficiently dry, and, because moisture remained on the rollers as thecopy paper passed therebetween, the image would tend to run and therebyproduce the aforementioned tailing, and, in some instances, the imagewould be repeated across the sheet by an offset printing effect.

In an attempt to overcome the aforementioned problems, a wiper membermade of such material as felt or foam rubber, which had moistureabsorbent qualities, has heretofore been applied to the roller whichengages the image on such a copy sheet. However, such constructionscommonly have also had several inherent disadvantages, such as, forexample, not drying the roller sufficiently, or scoring the roller, suchscoring being reflected in the completed copy.

Heretofore, in order to prevent such scoring, the roller coming incontact with the image often has been made of metal, such as steel.However, such construction also has had several inherent disadvantagessuch as, for example, that such rollers did not compress and did nothave good wringer characteristics; and the wipers heretofore known inthe art did not sufficiently remove the moisture from the image-engagingroller to I prevent the aforementioned tailing and repeating of theimage. As a result, heating elements commonly have been introduced intosuch metal rollers of wringer as semblies heretofore used in photocopymachines.

It is an important object of the present invention to overcome thedisadvantages of wringer assemblies heretofore known in the art for usein photocopy machines.

Another object of the present invention is to eliminate the necessityfor embodying heating elements in such wringer assemblies.

A further object of the present invention is to afford a novel wringerassembly for use in photocopying machinesof the type wherein a developersolution is used, which will produce a copy of the desired dryness.

Another object of the present invention is to afford a novel wringerassembly for use in photocopy machines which embodies a novel wipermember constituted and arranged in a novel and expeditious mannerrelative to rollers between which a copy sheet is passed for drying thesame.

A further object is to afford a novel wringer assembly of theaforementioned which which embodies a novel roller mechanism therein.

Another object of the present invention is to afford a novel wringerassembly for use in photocopy machines which is practical and efficientin operation and which may be readily and economically producedcommercially.

Other and further objects of the present invention will -be apparentfrom the following description and claims and are illustrated in theaccompanying drawings which, by way of illustration, show a preferredembodiment of the present invention and the principles thereof and whatwe now consider to be the best mode in which we have contemplatedapplying these principles. Other embodiments of the invention embodyingthe same or equivalent principles may be used and structural changes maybe made as desired by those skilled in the art without departing fromthe present invention and the purview of the appended claims.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary sectional view of a photocopy machine embodyinga wringer assembly embodying the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a fragmentary, detail sectional view taken substantially alongthe line 2-2 in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a detail end elevational view of a portion of the wringerassembly shown in FIG. 1, showing certain parts in different positions.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENT SHOWN HEREIN A wringer assembly 1embodying the principles of the present invention is shown in thedrawings to illustrate the presently preferred embodiment of the presentinvention. p

The wringer assembly 1 embodies, in general, an elongated upper roller 2and an elongated lower roller 3 disposed in substantially parallel,abutting engagement with each other, with a wiper unit 4 disposed inposition to operatively engage the roller 2.

The wringer assembly 1 is shown in the drawings disposed in position ina housing 5 of an electrostatic photocopying machine, or the like, inposition to withdraw paper, not shown, along a path of travel 6 fromdeveloper solution 7 in a tank 8, disposed in operative position in thehousing 5. Suitable drive mechanism, not shown, maybe connected, in amanner well known in the art, to either one or both of the rollers 2 and3 to cause the roller 2 to rotate in a counterclockwise direction, asviewed in FIG. 1, and the roller 3 to rotate in a clockwise direction,as viewed in FIG. 1.

Such positioning of the two wringer rollers in anelectrostaticphotocopying machine for the purpose of withdrawing paper fromdeveloping solution therein has been heretofore known in the art.However, as will be discussed in greater detail presently, the parts ofthe wringer assembly 1 are constructed, and arranged relative to eachother in a novel and expeditious manner heretofore unknown in the art.

Each of the rollers 2 and 3 embodies an elongated, substantiallycylindrical shaped body portion 9 mounted on and secured to an elongatedcore or shaft 10 for rotation therewith, the shafts 10 extendinglongitudinally through the respective body portions 9, FIG.

1. The shafts 10, like the shafts of rollers of wringer assembliesheretofore known in he art, may be made of any suitable material, butpreferably, are made from a relative hard material, such as, forexample, steel.

In the preferred form of the present invention, the body portion 9 ofthe roller 3 is made of a relatively soft, moisture-impervious materialsuch as, for example, neoprene, having a durometer hardness of 25 to 40and preferably of from 30 to 35; and the body portion 9 of the roller 2is made of a substantially harder, but still compressible,moisture-impervious material such as, for example, neoprene or urethane,having a durometer hardness of 60 to 85 and preferably of from 70 to 75.

Heretofore, in wringer assemblies known in the art, the body portions ofthe'rollers thereof commonly have been constructed of such material thateither both of them were relatively soft, such as, for example, having adurometer hardness of 30 to 35, or one or both were made of steel, orother similarly hard material, having a durometer hardness in the natureof 100 and being incompressible. It has been found that wringerassemblies having such heretofore known body portions have had severalinherent disadvantages, such as, for example, not sufficiently dryingthe paper being fed there through, causing the aforementioned tailing orrepeat printing, or being damaged by scoring, and the like.

The wiper unit 4 embodies a substantially U-shaped bracket 11, FIGS. 1and 2, having two substantially parallel side flanges 12 and 13 disposedat opposite ends of an elongated body portion 14. The bracket 11 may bemounted in position in a photocopy machine by any suitable means, suchas, for example, by securing the side flanges l2 and 13 thereof byrivets 15 to suitable supporting structure, such as oppositely disposedside walls 16 and 17, respectively, of the housing 5, as shown in FIG.2. The body portion 14 of the bracket 1 1 embodies a top wall 18, whichis disposed in substantially horizontally extending position in thehousing 5, and a longitudinally extending flange 19 sloping downwardlyand outwardly from one longitudinal edge of the top wall 18.

An elongated wiperblade 20 has one longitudinal edge portion 21 disposedon the outer face of the flange 19. A plate 22 is disposed in coveringrelation to the longitudinal edge portion 21, which is secured to theflange 18 by suitable fastening means, such as rivets 23 extendingthrough the plate 22, the longitudinal edge portion 21 of the wiperblade 20,and the flange 19. The wiper blade 20 has a free longitudinaledge 24 remote from the longitudinal edge portion 21, which latter edgeportion, in the completed assembly constitutes a fixed longitudinal edgeportion of the blade 20.

In the practice of the present invention, the wiper blade 20 is made ofa suitable, flexible, nonabsorbent, or moisture-impervious material,which preferably is tough, such as, for example, neoprene having adurometer hardness of between 25 and 40 and preferably between and 35.

In the assembled wringer assembly 1, the wiper unit 4 is so disposed inthe housing 5 that it is disposed above and extends along the roller 2in substantially parallel relation thereto. One face of an intermediatelongitudinally extending portion 25 of the blade 20, which is disposedbetween the free edge 24 and the longitudinal edge portion 21 of theblade 20, is disposed in substantially tangential, wiping engagementwith the body portion 9 of the roller 2, along the full length of theside thereof remote from the roller 3. The blade 20 engages the roller 2with sufficient wiping force that the free end 24 thereof is flexedoutwardly around the longitudinal edge portion 21 of the blade 20 in adirection away from the roller 2, as illustrated in FIG. 1.

1n the wringer assembly 1, the roller 2 constitutes the image-engagingroller thereof, and the roller 3 constitutes the roller disposed inengagement with the sides of the sheets of paper withdrawn from the tank8 remote from the image-carrying surface thereof. The rollers 2 and 3and the wiper blade 20 are so disposed in the housing 5 that moisturewiped from the outer peripheral surface of the roller 2 by the blade 20is caused to drop downwardly into the tank 8.

It has been found that with the roller 2 made of the aforementionedmaterials which are compressible, but have a relatively substantialhardness, and with the wiper blade 20 made of the aforementionedmaterial, which is flexible and moisture-impervious, the rollers 2 and 3are effective, in the operation of a photocopy machine, to effectivelydry and feed paper, withdrawn thereby from a developer solution, such asthe solution 7, without causing the aforementioned tailing or repeatprinting, and without scoring of the roller 2, which problems haveheretofore been common in the art.

Also, although the broader aspects of the present invention are notlimited thereto, in' the preferred form of the present invention weprefer to make the body portion 9 of the lower roller 3 of substantiallysofter material than that of the body portion 9 of the upper roller 2.For example, we prefer that the durometer hardness of the body portion 9of the roller 3 be 35 to 45 points, and, preferably in the nature of 40points, less than that of the body portion 9 of the roller 2.

It is believed that with the'body portion 9 of the roller 2 beingcompressible, while still having a relatively high durometer hardness,such as, for example, 60 to 85, and with the body portion 9 of theroller 3 being substantially softer, such as, for example, having theaforementioned durometer hardness of 25 to 40, improved operativeengagement of the rollers 2 and 3 with the sheet being fed therebetweenis afforded, with resultant improved drying of the sheets fed by thewringer assembly l as compared to wringer assemblies wherein the upperroller 2 is incompressible, both of the rollers 2 and 3 are relativelysoft, or the body portion 9 of the roller 3 is of substantially the samehardness as the body portion 9 of the roller 2.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the resent invention affords anovel wringer assembly for use in photocopy machines, wherein the partsthereof are constructed, and are arranged in a novel and expeditiousmanner.

Also it will be seen that the present invention affords a novel wringerassembly which is practical and efficient in operation, and which may bereadily and economically produced commercially.

Thus, while we have illustrated and described the preferred embodimentof our invention, it is to be understood that this is capable ofvariation and modification, and we therefore do not wish to be limitedto the precise details set forth, but desire to avail ourselves of suchchanges and alterations as fall within the purview of the followingclaims.

I claim:

1. A wringer roller assembly for use in a photocopy machine for fedingand drying a sheet of photocopy paper, comprising a. two elongatedrollers rotatably mounted in a substantially horizontal plane and insubstantially parallel contacting relation to each other for feeding thesheet therebetween,

b. the surfaces of both of said rollers being compressibie, with thesurface of one of said rollers having a durometer hardness greater thanthat of the other said roller, and

c. a flexible, moisture impervious, elongated wiper blade extendingsubstantially horizontally in wiping engagement with the surface of saidone roller, the durometer hardness of said wiper blade being less thanthat of said one roller.

2. The combination of elements defined in claim 1, wherein the durometerhardness of said one roller is within the range of approximately 60 to85.

3. The combination of elements defined in claim 1, wherein the durometerhardness of said other roller is within the range of approximately 25 to40.

4. The combination of elements defined in claim 1, wherein the durometerhardness of said one roller is withing the range of approximately 60 to85, and the durometer hardness of said other roller is within the rangeof approximately 25 to 40.

5. The combination of elements defined in claim 1, wherein the durometerhardness of said wiper blade is within the range of approximately 25 to40.

6. The combination of elements defined in claim 1, wherein the durometerhardness of said one roller is within the range of approximately to 75,and the durometer hardness of said other roller is within the range ofapproximately 30 to 35.

1. A wringer roller assembly for use in a photocopy machine for fedingand drying a sheet of photocopy paper, comprising a. two elongatedrollers rotatably mounted in a substantially horizontal plane and insubstantially parallel contacting relation to each other for feeding thesheet therebetween, b. the surfaces of both of said rollers beingcompressible, with the surface of one of said rollers having a durometerhardness greater than that of the other said roller, and c. a flexible,moisture impervious, elongated wiper blade extending substantiallyhorizontally in wiping engagement with the surface of said one roller,the durometer hardness of said wiper blade being less than that of saidone roller.
 2. The combination of elements defined in claim 1, whereinthe durometer hardness of said one roller is within the range ofapproximately 60 to
 85. 3. The combination of elements defined in claim1, wherein the durometer hardness of said other roller is within therange of approximately 25 to
 40. 4. The combination of elements definedin claim 1, wherein the durometer hardness of said one roller is withingthe range of approximately 60 to 85, and the durometer hardness of saidother roller is within the range of approximately 25 to
 40. 5. Thecombination of elements defined in claim 1, wherein the durometerhardness of said wiper blade is within the range of approximately 25 to40.
 6. The combination of elements defined in claim 1, wherein thedurometer hardness of said one roller is within the range ofApproximately 70 to 75, and the durometer hardness of said other rolleris within the range of approximately 30 to 35.